A Tale from the Transgressive Path
by Candle's Shadow
Summary: Inuyasha and co. are headed toward Kaede's village to bid farewell when suddenly a monster attacks the village. What is the menacing figure that lurks behind this attack? It's... a lizard?


Author's Note: This is a completely off the cuff fanfiction of Inuyasha (or whatever it's going to change into by the time I finish writing this thing). So yeah, I don't know what it's going to be, but possibly not so good. Read at your own risk. (Of gagging). Feel free to comment or criticize. I'll read it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, as it is the work of authoress Rumiko Takahashi.

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The sky was clear and blue, and birds twittered gaily, harking the mid-afternoon sun. In a forest far from parched of the sun's rays, a sound of struggling was to be heard as a certain charcoal-haired priestess emerged from a well, grasping the sides for support, a heavy knapsack in tow. To anyone else this occurrence would've been deemed strange, but to the onlookers it was but an ordinary event.

"Kagome! What took you so long?! Any longer and I would've come and kidnapped you!" a long haired ruffian clad in a red robes demanded.

"I'm telling you, I had a test! TEST! The teacher wouldn't let me come back for a retake this time so I -had- to go." a miffed voice replied.

"Keh! You and your tests. Well we've got to get going, seeing as we've wasted enough time with you and your _tests_." Inuyasha grunted back. Kagome had no reply, defiantly walking towards her pack of friends.

Kagome and company headed off in the direction of the village to to collect additional supplies for their journey and say goodbye to the elder miko of the village. They were strolling along at a merry pace caught in light conversation when abruptly, screams emitted from the place to which they were headed.

Immediately, as though trained, the team set into action. Sango commanded Kirara to transform, and her, Kagome, and Miroku hopped onto the feline's back. Inuyasha ran forward and then decisively jumped ahead of them as though he were going to assess the danger. Shippou, who mastered how to fly since mid-journey, tagged along behind Kirara as they flew off.

Already they could see smoke billowing through the air, rapidly forming a grey tower. Inuyasha stormed into the entrance of the village with calls from Sango to wait up, as he was far ahead of them. Within seconds the rest of the crew rushed to the scene with Shippou panting from his great flight to this danger.

"What the?!" Sango stared, clutching her Hirakoitsu, shocked at the scene. Only minutes ago they were peacefully waiting for Kagome's return and no sense of danger could be detected. Villagers ran amuck, attempting to put out the fire that now coursed through not just one house, but several. Other villagers, armed with picks, hoes, and axes ran to attack a towering dragon-like youkai that menaced over the length of the village, but to no avail.

Another scream pierced the air, breaking the team out of their thought. One of the brethren that was part of the waves of men attacking the beast was now hanging from the jaws of the youkai. The dragon threatened to eat the man as its long tongue rippled within its mouth, as though savoring a morsel of chocolate. Saliva dripped from its mouth, sizzling as it came to the ground, like water immersed in boiling oil. Its upper jaw was raised, ready to crunch down onto the first dish of its delicious feast. The man inside struggled to retreat from the slithery abyss, grabbing onto one of the lower fangs of the youkai, and was perching to jump out of its mouth.

Inuyasha, charging into battle with frightening speed, took to the action of the man's rescue. Expertly unsheathing the Tessaiga in mid-air, he swung the sword back, preparing for his attack. "Kaze no Kizu!" he yelled, as he swung the sword down upon the dragon with all the brutal strength he had. Blades of light jolted through the body of the monster, missing the man while dissipating the jaws of the dragon.

The man flew down from the air as Inuyasha sailed through the air triumphantly, watching the body of the massive youkai be swallowed up by his attack. Just in time, Kirara dashed under the villager, Sango him caught him with all her endurance as he came crashing down. Fortunately, Shippou was there to lighten the impact, narrowly reaching the spot in time to keep the man from crushing Sango's internal organs.

Finally, there was a silence, when at last, the last of the demon crumbled into pieces, which was all the way on the other side of the village. The man, who had managed to remain conscious was slipped gently onto the ground by several helping arms from the back of the cat-demon. The smoke that was present since their arrival scattered, vanishing into the air, seemingly without the help of the villagers.

There was a cry of relief and jubilation amongst the people as they realized they had been saved. Shouts of "Thank you so much, Inuyasha-sama!" could be heard by the dog demon and his company as worn villagers dropped their tools to the ground and began to rest. That was quickly replaced by exclamations of surprise and stupor.

"The-the houses!" A man exclaimed, stupefied. Inuyasha rushed to the scene with Sango and Miroku. Kagome, Shippou, and Kirara were left to tend to the human that was nearly clenched into the jaws of hunger.

Indeed, the houses. Not seeing anything wrong with them, though the smoke had dissipated rather abruptly, it took a moment for it to register what the matter was. The houses, though moments before were brilliantly on fire, showed no sign of being scathed. In fact, throughout the village there was not a single sign of the dragon having been there, as a gust of wind blew up billows of dirt where the now-disappeared demon had been. The only damage that appeared to be done was where the villagers attacked their own property, in haphazard attempts to damage the deadly intruder, and the jagged scars that ran along the ground where Inuyasha attacked.

"There is... No sign of fire." Sango said slowly, as though contemplating what to say next. Miroku stared at her, giving her a look as though he thinking the same thing. Inuyasha stood silently, eying the house from top to bottom, then gave the air a suspicious sniff.

"Hey, Miroku." Inuyasha began. Though the danger was clearly over, unease hung in the air. There was something else strange about the matter and the crew was daring each other to say what it was, lest put a finger on it. "There is no scent" he finished. "And also," he started again, beckoning Miroku to finish his statement.

Miroku stood, deep in thought when suddenly he hit a realization. "There was no jyaki!" He declared, hitting his fist into his other hand.

Realization dawned upon Sango too, as words tumbled from her mouth. "No wonder we couldn't sense it before it came. But what could it have been to... Bear no scent and no aura?" Her words hung in the air, thick with apprehension. From the ground came a faintly muffled snigger. A ribbon of red darted across the ground, clearly not meaning to be seen, behind the backs of the crew. Inuyasha swung around violently and catapulted through the air, catching it with his right set of claws. The group and what was left of the townspeople, turned around in premonition.

"Why it's a--" There was another silence, though this one was more awkward than apprehensive. "A _lizard_?" Came Inuyasha's incredulous question. A pompous snort emitted from the tiny reptile as it blew out a tiny burst of flame.

"_Dra_-gon." It corrected, annunciating each syllable with clear indignation.

"This thing?" Inuyasha asked, continuing with his aura of incredibility. Everyone by now had gathered around to look at the dragon. It was a spindly little creature, now slowly winding its long body around the base of Inuyasha's wrist. Now that it lay relatively still, they could see a scaled yellow underbelly and comically wide eyes atop its head. Whiskers hung out from either side of its snout above its cartoonishly over-sized mouth.

"And it was going so well," it mourned, annoyed at being caught as it crossed its tiny _arms_ together with a defiant pout. Those gathered simply gave him hard stares.

"Hey you," the hanyou sneered. "_Don't tell me you were the cause of this commotion._" To the dragon it seemed as though Inuyasha erupted in size and that shadows around him deepened with menacing flames bursting into the background.

Drawing in immediately that it was a situation from which he could not escape and that he was probably facing his impending death, he clasped his hands together and began to beg earnestly, banging his head into Inuyasha's arm. "Ah-ahh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll never do it again! I was just gettin' a little bored because there was no action! Can't we forget this and all be frien—Gaaaaagh!"

Clearly unimpressed by his apology, Inuyasha was now strangling the tiny beast with a look of stupefied revulsion. "Anyone else want fried lizard for lunch?" he asked as he walked briskly toward a house, mock pretending to find some stick upon which he could skewer the little devil with.

"Now Inuyasha," Miroku stepped in, making his diplomatic appearance. "We should question him before we eat him."

"Hmph! Have it your way," sneered the dog demon, loosening his grip and letting the panting dragon scamper onto the ground before Miroku. Simultaneously, everyone decided to sit down as though this were some discussion they'd planned on having long in advance. They then began to interrogate the reptile which was strangely enough, pacing on its back set of limbs. They began with his name.

"Mushu." He stated proudly, striking a pose as though he were suavely smoking a cigarette, blowing a puff of smoke into the air. "_I _am the great ancestral spirit who has proudly the guarded the _Fa _family throughout the ages. O' course you ain't seen my real form." He threw a wink at them for which Inuyasha bashed him over the head.

"We don't care." Inuyasha retorted, cracking his knuckles, his fist steaming.

Inuyasha's friends waited in half-bewilderment and half-amusement while Mushu recovered from the smoking pit in the ground.

"What we want to know is, why did you attack the villagers?" Sango asked, hoping to gain some ground with their questioning.

They quickly gathered that he was sent on a mission by the ancestors of the Fa family to protect a future heir that was to face impending battle, and along the way he got off track while heading to the battle field. From China, no less. "_China_?" scoffed the hanyou while Kagome gave the dragon a thoughtful stare.

He continued on, demonstrating his latent abilities to conjure illusions. Upon receiving the message from a brother guardian spirit that he had _failed in his mission_ (seeing as the heir got beheaded), he was banished from his place of residence and left to wander in Japan while the other spirit returned home. And it came up to, "So I was just a lil' bored."

Inuyasha and company, seeing that there was no more to be said, let him go making him swear to _never _do that ever again. Finally, they all stood up, cramped from sitting for so long. Kagome stretched, holding her hands above her head.

"That was a rather queer occurrence." the priest commented, glancing toward the crew while grasping his staff. "And we are much delayed in seeing Kaede," he said, seeming to be the only one who remembered why they were coming to the village in the first place.

Kagome gathered her bag and Kirara who was now in her kitten-form leaped onto Sango's shoulder, Shippou clamoring onto the other one. They all headed off in the direction of the elder priestess's house while Kagome stared absently into the sky. "Why does that name seem so familiar?" She muttered softly, trying to recall if she'd heard his name in any of her travels, or if she'd heard it in some age-old legend. She shook her head, not being able to come a recollection.

"Kagome! We're going to leave you behind!" Inuyasha called from out ahead, his hand in the air. Kagome skipped ahead, coming to Inuyasha's side as they headed toward Kaede's place.

End Note: So other than correcting some little things here and there, this is what I typed straight out of my head. For people who don't know what the heck was up with the dragon-lizard, that was a reference to the movie _Mulan_. Seeing as I couldn't think of what to do with this attack out of nowhere, I suddenly remembered Mushu from my favorite childhood movie. (Obviously the epitome of historical accuracy). Well, that was a bit long of a rant. Good day

Ah, I also don't claim to own _Mulan_, either.


End file.
